Ben gasped awake.

  A sharp pain erupted in his back as if he was being stabbed. His stomach churned like a cement mixer, and his breaths felt heavy. His body started twitching as a wave of ice swept across it. After rubbing his eyes, he found himself in a dimly lit room where the orange light of a lone candle flickered.

  Above him, he could make out the shape of a vaulted ceiling connecting to wooden planks that made up the walls. Being in an unfamiliar room felt wrong. Just as he was about to start panicking, he remembered the fight with the bloodhounds and realized he must have been taken to one of the rooms upstairs.

  Putting his arms down, he tried to push himself up. His back started hurting more, causing the pain to spread. Looking down, he noticed a thin cloth tightly wrapped around his torso like a bandage.

  Damn, that hurts!

  Looking across the room, he saw the candle on a table near the doorway. Two figures stood there staring at him, catching him off guard. He fought the pain and managed to get upright before he could make out one of them to be Arthel.

  “Take it easy.” Arthel broke the silence. He strolled into the room and stood beside the bed. “You passed out and nearly hit the ground like a rock. You’re lucky Har’s agile for an old man of his age. He grabbed you before you cracked your head open on my floor.” He then turned to face the other figure in the doorway and walked there. “He’s awake, love. Bring him the tea before he passes out again.”

  Once the lady hurried off, he picked up the candle and used its flame to light the others around the room. Once he was finished, he faced Ben with a furious frown. “What in the hell were you thinking going out there like that? You had no armor and would surely die here from your state. You don't understand how lucky you are that Carolina had some herbs left to make the infusion that saved your life.”

  Ben labored to scratch his head. "Now that you mention it, it was kind of silly."

  Arthel sighed. “The next time you run into a pack of bloodhounds without armor like some hero, someone will have to bury your sorry ass in the dirt.” His words hung heavy in the air.

  Ben nodded. “Alright. I know I shouldn't have done that, but you realize that if I hadn't stepped in when I did, your guards would have been dead, and those things would have made it inside. I saw the fear on their faces. It didn't look like they were too far away from getting themselves killed. I wasn't going to stand around and let that happen.”

  It was like a nerve had been struck. Anger and frustration swept through Arthel's face, and it became red like a cherry. He huffed and shook his head. “Leave them be. They’ve been through a hell of a lot worse these past months. We’ve lost too many good people, including entire families and even little children. We’ve all been dragged through a mountain of crap.”

  “Look, I'm sorry. Maybe if you talk to me about what’s happened, it might help me understand what you’ve been through.”

  Arthel stared at the planks of the wooden wall across the room as if the memories of the past replayed in his mind. He took a heavy breath and started. “I might as well start from the beginning. Robynhill was the jewel of the Mesolands, and the people here basked in its prosperity. We had an entire garrison of guards who patrolled these roads along with the local Knights. Dozens of caravans from the Canrich Kingdom came here to trade goods.”

  Arthel paused as his eyes became misty. Then blew out a shaky breath. “One day, the knights were recalled back to Chateau Meso… That was the last time we saw them. Shortly after, the bloodhounds appeared and started to cause havoc, the result of which you see here now. Some refugees came through here and spoke rumors of ungodly creatures.”

  “Ungodly creatures?” Ben asked with a raised brow. He wondered if they could be connected to what he had witnessed at the proving grounds.

  Arthel shrugged. “I don't know what they looked like, and the refugees didn't exactly give any descriptions. I explained all this to your knights when they passed here a few days ago. I told them the best thing to do would be to get to the chateau.” He shook his head. “They’ve probably fallen victim to the same fate as our knights. None of it matters now. We’ll all be dead soon. After the attack last night, Har is too scared to venture out there alone. We’ll run out of supplies by the week's end.”

  Before anything else could be said, there was a knock on the door. A lady hurried in, balancing the contents of a tankard in her hand. She passed it to Arthel before making her way back.

  Arthel placed it on the end table near the bed. “Let it cool down before taking a sip. It’ll burn your tongue to the seven hells that will. Just make sure you drink it all. It’ll get the last of that poison out of your body.”

  Ben gave him a nod. “Thanks for that. Now, about your situation here. I think I have a plan that might help.”

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  Arthel raised an eyebrow as if caught off guard. “What do you have in mind?”

  “On my way here, I had to go through the checkpoint at the bridge. They've got no ale left and would like a resupply. The knight said he would owe me a favor if I managed to sort it out for him.”

  Arthel sighed. “That drunkard is always asking for ale every chance he gets.”

  “Yeah, then why not use that to your advantage?”

  Arthel scrunched up his forehead as if he were being asked a silly question. “What do you mean?”

  “I know you don't have much, but the occasional resupply of ale could convince them to patrol the roads around here. That would allow Har to get his deliveries done without the risk of losing his life.”

  Arthel took a moment to think about it. “You have a point, and it makes sense. But there is something that you should know about the woods directly near the road. Large numbers of them were spotted by a hunter about a month ago. They might have a den there, which could cause more problems if not dealt with. “

  “Don't worry about that. I’ll speak with the knight and see if we can figure something out. Does that sound alright?” Ben asked.

  Arthel bit his bottom lip and nodded. “Alright. I think I have enough ale to get things started. I’ll speak with Har about the plan. Hopefully, it will convince him to get back on the road.” He motioned the tankard, “I’ll leave you be. Make sure you drink it all and get some rest. I’ll get a bath ready for you and some clean clothes. They're not much, but we can't have you running around the village butt naked."

  Ben arrived at the bottom of the wooden staircase. A day had passed, and he felt his energy had returned to him. His back had improved, and he could move without hurting it much.

  Arthel waited for him at the bottom with a wide grin. “Great news. I’ve spoken with Har about your plan. He’s all for it and even helped load the cart. He’s waiting just by the back door.”

  When Ben stepped through, the blinding light hit his eyes like a floodlight. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the sunny outside before he noticed Har sitting atop his horse. With daylight, his curiosity shot toward the village, and he saw the wholesale desolation it had suffered.

  More than a dozen neglected buildings loomed in the area. Some appeared nearly decayed, alongside an unused marketplace where tattered cloth tents flapped in the wind, a remnant of the village's past glory.

  Atop his horse, Har let out a drawn-out huff of frustration. “This village used to be full of life. I remember the days when I used to play in that marketplace as a child. My mother ran a stall there while my father grafted in the mines. All that remains now is a skeleton of what this place once was.”

  Ben sighed. “Arthel told me what happened. Even though I have my mission, I will do what I can to help your people.”

  “The night we met you in those woods, I thought you were like the rest of them and wanted to take what was ours. I’m glad I was wrong about you. You saved us that night, which nearly cost you your life. The people of Robynhill never forget a good deed.”

  “Ah, don't worry about that. I was happy to help, regardless. We must get this ale to the checkpoint and make these roads safe again. I will take my magic cart and stay behind you if there are nasty surprises on the way there.”

  Ben arrived at the checkpoint.

  There had been no contact with the Bloodhounds on the way there, and once they neared the bridge, the soldiers had already moved into defensive positions. When the knight made his way to the front, he turned to the others and appeared to point and shoot before most dispersed. They were pointed to a clearing near the riverbank.

  Once Ben got out, the knight approached them and stated, “Back again, are we?” He then glanced at the cart. “I see you’ve made your acquaintance with Har Olson.”

  Ben pointed to the back of the cart. “The ale you asked for.”

  The knight's head glanced to the back of the cart. “I was thinking you wouldn't pull through for us.”

  “Well, here I am, and there’s the ale. But that’s not all. We need to talk.”

  The knight turned back to him. “About what?” He turned to his men, who were stood watching. “Stop staring. Get those barrels off the cart.”

  [Quest Completed: Resupply South Meso Bridge Checkpoint with Ale.]

  [Rewards: +25XP, +1 Silver Shilling.]

  When the knight turned back to face him, Ben cleared his throat. “The road to Robynhill isn't safe anymore with all the bloodhounds. Har nearly lost his life the other night if it wasn't for me stumbling upon him the other day. Later on, more of them came back and nearly wiped them out. They’re offering you regular shipments of Ale if you can ensure the road stays safe.”

  The knight nodded, “You do realize we are not allowed to cross beyond the boundary of the Hollow Lands? There are treaties with the Mesolands which forbid us from entering their territory. If my captain finds out, I could lose my post, never mind get my ears chewed out.”

  “Look, these people are on their last legs. I’m certain you can sort something out without anyone knowing about it. You could call it a deal under the table. If that makes sense.”

  Har coughed before interrupting. “I think it’s safe to say no more treaties are left to break. The Meso Knights have been absent around these lands for some time now. Our people are struggling for life over there and won't be around much longer without those supplies, but I can't risk my life every day. My granddaughter has already lost both her parents.”

  The knight paused as if stuck in deep thought. “Are you both aware of the den in the forest that goes along the road?”

  Ben raised an eyebrow. “Yeah… how do you know about that?”

  “Look,” the knight said, hushing his tone slightly, “keep this between us, or we’ll have problems, alright? I tasked a team of my men with an unsanctioned mission into that forest to hunt for game as our food supplies ran low. We were in a desperate state, you know. They stumbled upon a large group of the hounds, and when they returned, they kept appearing along the tree line beyond the bridge for over a month. To get rid of the problem, we need to take care of that den. But I can't risk the lives of my men like that, and my superiors will find out.”

  Ben gave the knight a grin. “If you can lure them out on the road, I can run them over."